The present disclosure relates to the field of computing hardware, and specifically to integrated circuits in computing hardware. Still more specifically, the present disclosure relates to converting electrical input/output signals from an integrated circuit into optical input/output signals.
An integrated circuit is an electronic circuit produced by a combination of lithography, spattering, etc. to form the electronic circuit. This electronic circuit may include resistors, transistors, diodes, and other electronic components that collectively perform one or more types of functions. One type of specialized integrated circuit is a microprocessor, which provides the functionality of a computer's central processing unit (CPU) on a single integrated circuit by including a combination of input/output connections, processing units, memory, etc. on a single chip. Another type of specialized integrated circuit is a field-programmable gate array, which is a semiconductor device that is programmable after being manufactured to create a custom-configured circuit.